


If Wishes Were Fishes

by roundandtalented



Category: Homestuck
Genre: HSWC 2014, Humanstuck, Illustrated, M/M, Prompt: The Butterfly Effect
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-14
Updated: 2014-07-14
Packaged: 2018-02-08 19:03:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1952580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roundandtalented/pseuds/roundandtalented
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Things never, ever go the way you plan. But at least some times, it's for the better.</p>
            </blockquote>





	If Wishes Were Fishes

**Author's Note:**

> Team Eri<3Sol's Round 1 submission~!
> 
> Thanks so much to [Sasgalula](http://sasgalula.tumblr.com/) and [Chocolatula](http://chocolatula.tumblr.com/) for drawing some pictures for it, and to [Princessofmind](http://princessofmind.tumblr.com/) for her editing! ♥

Your name is Sollux Captor, and you know shit all about tropical fish

You don’t even like fish. They kind of make for really dumb pets. They swim around, eat, and poop. _Stupid_. Why would anyone want something else to clean in their home?

So you don’t like fish. And you don’t like cleaning. But you _do_ like one Feferi Peixes, rich hottie who is your best friend’s total catch of a friend. She’s gorgeous, smart, funny, and pretty much everything you’ve ever wanted in a girlfriend… Except she has no idea you’re even interested, because, like you said, rich hottie. And you’re… A broke nerd. 

Rich hotties and broke nerds are on completely different levels and you are so very aware of that. Its like hot girls can’t even see you. Well, you guess Aradia can see you, but it feels almost weird to think of her as hot, seeing as the two of you have been friends since you were practically babies. She might as well be your sister. Weird, Asian, mortician sister.

Don’t ask.

Needless to say, when Feferi casually mentions that she owns and loves tropical fish, you do the stupid boy thing, and respond with something positive, because you like hearing her talk.

“Tropical fish are really cool. They’re so colourful.”

 _Colourful_. Good job, Captor, what are you, 12? Fucking idiot. There was a million other things you could have said to get the babe to keep talking to you, and you said that. Fucking GG, nub. She’s totally going to know you’re just talking out your ass now-

"Ahh you like them?" She’s all smiles and sunshine and you cannot disagree with her. 

“Yeah, of course!”

image by [Sasgalula](http://sasgalula.tumblr.com/)

And that’s how you end up agreeing to condo-sit for Feferi while she and Aradia fly out of the country on some ‘girl time’ trip. Whatever, that’s fine. All you have to do is feed some fish every now and then while you use her Internet, right?

Wrong. So very wrong. Feferi left you a list plus instructions on how to care for the 150 gallon reef tank in her living room. 

You’d never been more terrified about accidentally killing a fish in your life, but, you were pretty sure you could still do this. Challenge fucking accepted. You could last two weeks in some hot girl’s fancy apartment, feeding her fancy fish and making sure their fancy water stayed perfect. You could do it, you’d just, need to man up and ask for some help from the fish department at the pet store down the road from said fancy apartment.

The building is huge, you want to take a kitten home so bad, and you maybe get lost twice. But eventually, you end up in the aquatic section. There’s tanks of fish at least 8 feet high, little ones on top of each other. The whole place is glowy and blue, and it’s actually kind of neat to walk through. Bu,t it’s really humid so you feel a bit sticky and uncomfortable, though you guess that’s still fairly normal. Gross. 

You can’t find an employee for the life of you, but, it’s 10am on a Tuesday, there’s likely only one person working. You hear his voice before you see him, actually. Haughty, offended, speech impediment. You’re making a mental image of some piece of shit, just-out-of-high-school asshole before you get to the next row of tanks where you can hear him sassing a customer. What you find, however, is a complete surprise. 

He’s tall enough he barely needs the step stool to get to the second row of fish tanks, and is dressed way too nicely to be scooping out feeder fish for the woman he’s helping. Those jeans are probably worth more than your life. His hair is about the same length as yours, though his looks like it’s on purpose, and just as wavy, maybe even a bit curly. He hands off a bag of orange feeder fish, sends the woman on her way, and then he’s staring at you expectantly, one foot still on his stepping stool.

Image by [Chocolatula](http://chocolatula.tumblr.com/)

“C’n I help you? Or are you just gunna look at me funny all mornin’?” 

Maybe it’s not a speech impediment. Maybe it’s just an accent. You have no fucking clue, but, it takes you a moment to get your brain on track. 

“Yeah, uh,” you pull out your crumpled piece of paper with your instructions. “I’m house sitting for a friend, and she has a whole bunch of tropical fish.”

The pet store employee narrows his eyes at you and you grimace. You sound like an idiot, and he already thinks you’re completely incompetent. _Wonderful_. 

“I have a hard time keeping plants alive, never mind actual animals.” You just admit it, flat out. Maybe he’ll take pity on you. “I don’t know how to check a pH, or how to adjust the salt in the water, or what light bulb i’m supposed to replace a dead one with.”

Your shoulders are sagging because you barely slept last night, you’re wearing yesterday’s Zelda t-shirt, and your glasses are fogging up because of the fish section’s humidity. This is why you rarely leave your house.

 _Oh_ , the crazy shit you’ll do for a chance with a hot girl.

The guy in front of you, he looks about your age, maybe a year or two older, scoffs, then rolls his eyes. You were expecting as much. You’d scoff at you too.

“Follow me. I’ll show you.”

He does. He’s actually pretty prompt and to the point of it too. He shows you the dip strips and provides a demonstration in one of the small reef tanks, and you take it in best you can while squinting at him name tag.  
 _Eridan_. Huh.

He’s got this way of talking that makes him sound like a pretentious know-it-all, and well, he kind of is you suppose. Its a little annoying, but not to the point where you want to walk away. Eridan shows you to the food, how much to give how many fish Fef has, which lightbulbs you should be using, how to check the salt… He’s very helpful. Makes you feel useless and stupid for even coming to ask for help, but you learn a lot.

His confidence is also kind of charming. A little annoying, but mostly charming.

After writing you up an instruction sheet, this one much clearer than the last you received, he hands you a card too.  
“If you have any issues, you come in here an’ ask me. Any of the other people will fuck it up.” He looks out to the main section of the store, eyes narrowed like they’ve definitely all wronged him in the past. “Just ask for Eridan if you can’t find me.”

You nod, thank him, and you’re pretty sure you catch a smirk from him when he hears your mangled S on ‘thanks’.

When you get back to Feferi’s apartment, you immediately pull out your new instructions and get to work.  
Everything’s fine and healthy, but you’re worried and nervous and wow, Eridan’s handwriting is awful nice. It’s… nicer than Feferi’s, actually. Even his handwriting looks pretentious, like he thinks his fish instructions are super important and official. They are kind of important but… you watched him write them out. He didn’t take his time. 

You spend the next few days playing a shit ton of League, fussing over the massive aquarium, and eating a lot of reheated pizza. And it doesn’t strike you as odd when every now and then, you think about tan skinned Eridan, all glowy and lit up from the aquariums in the fish department, with his curly hair pushed back out of his face, and fancy tight jeans… 

He was helpful.

He continues to be helpful Saturday afternoon when you notice Bruno, this big blue fish who hides a lot, has blotches on his tail. You have to go to the front of the store because you did a lap of the fish department and were distressed that he wasn’t there. Tnstead there was some petite blonde girl who looked like she might be sixteen and working her first job, and _hell no_ , you were not about to ask her after having been warned. So you you ask for him and you're met with a scowl.

“What do you need him for?”

“Tropical fish help.”

“You promise you’re not just here to bitch him out or something?” The cashier you’ve asked,she doesn't look much different from the other girl, crosses her arms over her chest, eyebrow quirked. “He wasn’t rude enough to you that you never wanted to come back?” 

“No?” You can see how he could be though, judging by how he talked to the woman before you last time. Actually, you’re willing to bet money that she only asked you because it’s happened before.

She calls him over the store PA, and about two minutes later, you see a very soggy looking Eridan coming towards you. He looks absolutely miserable, and his nice jeans are soaked. He’s wearing glasses this time too, and there’s water droplets clinging to them. It kind of looks like he tried to swim in on of the tanks.

“You’re back.” Oh, he’s in a foul mood it seems. “What did you fuck up.” You follow him back to the fish department, explaining what the blotches look like, and how you hadn’t seen Bruno in a couple days so you hadn’t noticed. He rolls his eyes, tells you that type of fish likes to hide, and not to worry too much. It’s just a type of tail-rot, and it was probably a thing before you were even in charge of them.

He’s… a lot less annoyed with you after that. Sets you up with antibiotics to put in the tank, a vitamin booster type thing for Bruno to eat, and warns you to keep an eye on the other fish, just in case. You actually get a smile out of him when you thank him this time.

“You’re a life saver. If my friend comes back and one of her babies is sick, she’ll fucking end me.” you laugh, and he grins. 

“Glad I could help, uh,” He pauses, trying to remember your name, but you’ve not told him it.

“Sollux.” you give him it. He smiles, a really sweet, genuine one too. You try not to stare but, wow. Those are braces-perfect teeth, and he’s really kind of cute when he does that. Especially when right now he looks more like a soggy dork than some stuck up asshole.

"So how do you know so much about fish?" You’d been thinking about that for a while, because most people your age care more about drinking and having a good time. Sure, they have jobs, but it’s not usually something they’re passionate about.

“My parents have aquariums.” He rings you up on the fish department till, fingers still wet as he hits the keys. “Always have, so, I’ve been around tropical fish all my life. Regular ones too. But yeah, they’re really big on fish. My chores growing up were ‘clean the reef tank’ instead of ‘pick up in the backyard’.” 

He chuckles, and it catches you off guard how nice his voice sounds when he’s actually not grumping or showing off at someone. “Are you as into fish as they are?” You’re done paying, but you end up following him when he walks away from the till. He makes the hand motion for you to keep up and keep talking with him.

“Nah. I just work here because it’s better than fast food.” he shrugs, and when he gets to a door in the wall, holds up a finger for you to wait a moment. He dips inside, and then his voice is echoey. “I was in here one day picking up something, and heard a lady ask one of the employees about filters on reef tanks. I answered her questions better than the actual employee, and ended up getting offered the job.”

A black flap over the lowest row of tanks flips back, and there’s Eridan, on the other side of the wall, pouring water into tanks that need top-ups.

“That’s pretty awesome. Do you like it?”

“Not really.” you can’t see him shrug, but you assume he does. “I get to talk about something I know a lot about, but, most of the time it’s to idiots.”

“Me. I’m one of those idiots.” You laugh and he smirks at you through the little slot. You keep shuffling along with him, both of you on either side of the fish tanks.

“You are, but you’re excused because you’re just pet-sitting.” 

“Oh, so I’m an exception.”

“Of course.”

You follow him around, talking casually about your jobs, your lack of pet experience, his lack of a social life thanks to his job- he’s a year older than you, dropped out of school, parents won’t let him back in the house, all he does is work, a bit of writing on the side, and play some MMOs. Would go out to clubs but has no one to go with. 

You don’t even think of the insinuations, you just give him your number.

“There. Now you have one person you can hang out with.” He takes it, a scribble on a piece of your receipt, through the fucking flap above the aquariums. Its pretty dark through there, but he looks a bit flustered.

“Thanks.”

Feferi calls to check up on you and her fish that night. You’re in a middle of an instance, but you pick up anyway.  
She’s worried when you tell her about Bruno (he’s her favourite sulky fish, apparently), but baffled when you tell her about the helpful pet store employee who you are sort of befriending.

“The one with the stupid blonde piece in his hair?”

“Yeah. Eridan. Tall, kind of mocha skin?” You blast some twelve year old online and keep talking. “He’s kind of full of himself, but he seems sweet once you get past that.”

“He called me princess and asked for my number.”

You have to close Warcraft, you’re laughing too hard to concentrate. You try and imagine the soggy nerd you chatted with today calling anyone ‘princess’ and you just fucking can’t.

About a week in, you’re getting sick of pizza, you’ve only been talking to your guild, and a storm blows the light on the aquarium when the hydro flickers. You make yourself shower because wow, you’re disgusting, and hit the petstore first. You don’t really _need_ Eridan’s help, since he already showed you where the lights were, but you peek around the tanks anyway. You don’t see him. He’s not behind the tanks, he’s not in the isles, he’s not at the cricket bin handing those out because other employees are busy.

He’s not in the store. 

You head for the checkout, utterly dejected and disappointed. It’s not like you were excited to see him or anything. Heck, the guy didn’t even text you despite you giving him your number. You wanted to raid with him. You wanted to hang out. Are you really that awful at social interaction that you can’t make a friend without Aradia’s help? 

The cashier let’s you swipe your card, hands you your bag, and just as you’re about to walk to the store-

“Hey, Sollux!” 

You spin and there’s Eridan, having just walked out of what appears to be a lunch room, backpack over his shoulder and a striped shirt on instead of his uniform one.

“Hey, what’s up? You just finishing?” He looks awfully tired, so you’d assume so. It is about 6pm, he’s probably been working since the store opened.

He nods and falls in step right next to you as you head out the door. And then you get an idea- why don’t you and your new friend go out to dinner? You could use the company, and food that isn’t pizza, so, why not?

“Do you have any plans for tonight?” 

He grips the straps on his bag a little tighter and maybe it’s weird that you notice that. “Uh, not really? Was gunna do a few dungeons with a friend? But that’s not 'til late.”

“I’m talking dinner-wise.” You know you’re not imagining the warm hue his cheeks take on. “I want not-pizza, and I’m already out.” 

“Dinner?” Yes. Where you eat things. You squint- what the hell is he so on edge about? “Sure I guess?”

You end up at a pub of some sort, his recommendation, but you both get burgers and talk about video games like normal twenty-something social outcasts. He’s a bit of an older school gamer, has a massive collection, but likes MMOS as much as the next loser. He’s a complete stuck up dick about Palidins, tries to disagree with you that they’re OP, but it’s the kind of witty, snarky banter that you like. But 6pm ends up 8:30pm, and he really ought to be getting home.

You drive him, even though he protests that he can take the bus. He kept you company, he’s fun to tease and rile up about stupid bullshit, and you actually enjoy talking with him. This time, as you’re about to punt him out in front of his building, he gives you his number. By means of laughing, grabbing your phone, and haphazardly punching it in.

“How about you text me this time,” he says, adjusting his backpack on his shoulder. “That way I don’t feel like I’m bein’ annoying.”

You know that feel. Fuck, you know that feel so well.

But then, he leans down, and pecks you on the cheek.

“Dinner was fun. Thank you.”

And he’s gone. Scooting in the lobby door and he’s fucking gone. He leaves you sitting there, in the drivers seat of your shitty Honda Civic, staring wide eyed at the bobblehead Illidan on your dash like he can tell you what the fuck just happened.

You text Aradia, even though she’s half way across the world, absolutely panicking because how the fuck are you that oblivious? How did you not catch on to any of that? They were little things, sure, but those little things you did actually fucking meant something.

Aradia gets back to you while you’re feeding the fish their super late dinner (oops). She doesn’t give you advice, she just laughs at you.

You scowl at the fish in the aquarium like it’s their fault you unknowingly got yourself into this mess. The starfish gets an especially angry glare because he’s not even moving, why does Feferi even own that? 

You really wish you were better at picking up on this kind of shit.

You lay awake most of the night contemplating every step that lead up to this moment. Every little thing you did thoughtlessly, easily, so much that it came natural to you. Every little reaction you noticed, how he kept popping into your head over the past week and a half, and how it didn’t even strike you as odd at the time.

You have no idea what you were even thinking, offering to fucking fish-sit for some girl. Your dumb fake interest in fish has completely turned your otherwise uneventful, stress-free life right on its head, and _seriously why does she even own the starfish, it just fucking sits there! It might as well be a rock!_

Around 4am, you send Eridan a text and go the fuck to sleep.

 

You go to pick up Aradia and Feferi from the airport at around 9pm Wednesday night. Your car is pretty small, but everyone manages to fit in, plus the suitcases. Aside from the usual ‘hi, hello, I missed you’, none of you speak until you’re out of the airport parking lot.

"So _Princess_ , Sol never did tell me where you travelled to." Eridan smirks like he knows what’s coming, but still yelps when Feferi kicks the back of his seat. 

“Hawaii!” She cheers, not even phased. “I took Aradia snorkelling and para-sailing. And I got to introduce her to some of my family down there.”

Yeah, you had a hunch it was _that_ sort of trip, not that it matters any more.

“Sollux, thanks for taking care of my reef while we were gone.” She reaches up to pap your arm and you turn to grin at her, best you can while still trying to drive straight. There’s a highway coming up, so you can’t dick around too long.

“Thanks for giving me such an opportunity.” You go a bit pink in the cheeks, completely aware Eridan can see that just fine. You make the suggestion that you hit a drive-thru of some sort, just to get actual conversation going, and that works pretty well. 

The whole drive home, Aradia wiggles her eyebrows at you in the car mirror. You’re tempted to flip her off, but that would mean you’d have to stop holding Eridan’s hand.


End file.
